To Sate the Thirst of Chaos
by the point
Summary: When Sailor Cosmos triumphed over Chaos, they all knew that one day he would return. But Saturn hadn't expected him to take the form of a very mischievous Nosferatu King or that, after a taste of her blood, he'd never leave her alone. SMxHellsing
1. Chapter One

**One day I was trying to find some good Sailor Saturn fan fiction and I came across next to nothing. The collection is very minimal, so I got upset enough to write one of my own. After I completed my fic, I turned to browse through the Crossovers section and got REALLY inspired.**

**So here we are with ****To Sate the Thirst of Chaos****, inspired by both the fic I wrote for the Sailor Moon section and Sailor Ra's ****Randomness****. Naturally, I had to make this a ROMANCE, because there just isn't enough romance going on for Saturn. Be aware, though, that some of the politics in this fic is similar to ****Simple Feelings****.**

**Let's just hope I'll update this often!**

1

Ages had passed since the fall of Neo Crystal Tokyo, and centuries had gone by through fighting the darkness that was Sailor Chaos. For many seasons after, many star seeds had faded alongside the ashes of vast castles of the Milky Way. It was no surprise then, that only Eternal Sailor Moon had been the last to remain, a light so bright that even Chaos had been careful to touch. In a last desperate attempt to end it all, Eternal Sailor Moon had called upon the power of the Cosmos Crystal and wore, willingly, the helm of Sailor Cosmos and the weight of her fallen comrades. A touch to the Time-Space Door and she had flung herself back to the Twentieth Century with the determination to destroy the Galaxy Cauldron to finish, not only Chaos and herself, but the whole of life together. For she had thought, at the time, that no life was worth living when her home was in ruins and her beloved were mere ghosts whom Chaos had left to haunt her with.

But faced with her Twentieth Century self, Sailor Cosmos had been reminded why, exactly, Chaos had hesitated to destroy her when she had been Sailor Moon. Not only had her light, the Silver Crystal, been blinding to the touch, but the lights, the Star Crystals, of those she held most dear and close had made her almost impenetrable. It had been precisely why, precisely for those Star Seeds of her beloved, that Eternal Sailor Moon had selflessly tossed herself into the Galaxy Cauldron and had selflessly allowed life to continue, even with Chaos, for she had understood… there could be no life if there was no death, no light if no dark, no happiness if no pain.

Thus, equipped by the lesson she had learnt from her younger self, Sailor Cosmos returned to the distant future and braved Sailor Chaos once more. She had called upon the Star Seeds in the Galaxy Cauldron and, with her own – with the Silver merged into the Cosmos, Sailor Cosmos had slain Sailor Chaos and scattered the many fragments of the darkness into the universe could not have possibly taken all that was life away from those she loved most.

With a broken heart, a body torn and a mind worn, Sailor Cosmos had returned the Cosmos Crystal into the hands of Guardian Cosmos and, as Sailor Moon once more, she sunk into the warm womb of the Galaxy Cauldron and let herself, finally, sleep. With Chaos dissipated into the Cosmos System, she had nothing to fear, for she had known that it would take him much longer to recover than her, and that when next they meet, Sailor Moon knew she would not be alone anymore.

The rest, Hotaru Tomoe knew, was history.

She brought a hand to her sunhat when a particular strong summer breeze blew by and laughed when it threatened to take her yellow dress with it. In the distance, she could see her queen and princess dance around the daisy field, the summer sun reflecting the sapphires and the rubies in their eyes. A ways off was her king, a golden light that rivalled the sun, sitting by the picnic basket and watching the two most important women in his life twirl round and round and round.

Closing her eyes, Hotaru took in the warm summer scent of grass and flowers, and craned her neck back to let the sun bleed through. With another hardy laugh, she turned back to the dancing mother-daughter pair, and felt her heart warm when she saw four others join them, a kaleidoscope of blue, orange, red and green – and then another four Asteroids of pastel blue, crème, red and green, twirling, twirling, kicking up white petals and butterflies as they ran across the field.

"Be careful!" the three humanoid felines cried out when the princess stumbled, but no harm had been done when the cotton-pink glow of the girl stood up laughing.

Shaking her head, Hotaru giggled and sighed. She had better soon join them before the princess got too rambunctious. Looking to her right, the colours of navy, teal and maroon caught her gaze and they grinned, both at her and the lively group.

"I don't think we've had a peace like this in a long time," Michiru mused, leaning into the navy.

Haruka scoffed playfully and added, "Or one lasting this long."

"Or one so complete," Hotaru breathed happily.

At her words, the four of them set their eyes on their king and the four stones at his side, ever vigilant and ever eager to join the girls.

"The Shitennou," Setsuna considered. "They, too, deserve happiness."

Hotaru nodded and thought it incredibly generous of the Galaxy Cauldron to revive the four generals. Under the blessings of Silver and Gold, and the benevolent of the Cosmos, anything and anyone could find happiness. After all their dedication to their king, Hotaru was glad that the Shitennou were now able to be with the ones they had yearned for and unbearably loved for many lifetimes.

Brushing a few stray hairs from her face, Hotaru was thankful that, finally, they could all have the happiness they had sought for, for such a long time, for so many lifetimes. They had slept for a millennium, holding hands and sharing brief images of their happiness, in the Galaxy Cauldron. The rainbow they must had made, with their colours so bright and whole, it was no wonder that the Solar System housed the most powerful of the Sailor Senshi. And when, finally, the Galaxy Cauldron gave one last churn and planted their Star Seeds on their mother planets, one by one, the each of them woke in the ruins of their castles, but each of them had never had so much hope in their lives.

Now, centuries after, the Palaces were rebuilt – the Crystal Palace was now a beacon of hope to the rest of the Cosmos, the people had new lives, and Hotaru, personally, had never been so fulfilled before. Saturn had never been so bright, Titan Castle had never been so happy, and Hotaru had never been so complete. This was now the Golden Age of the Third Silver Millennium.

Everything was perfect.

"There is an issue I'd like to discuss with you," Setsuna said gravely.

The others tensed; Hotaru had not been expecting anything wicked to appear so suddenly.

"Setsuna?" Michiru enquired, brows drawn together.

Haruka's hold over Michiru tightened warily.

"Lately I have detected a sort of…" the Senshi of Time and Space faltered worriedly, "discrepancy in the Cosmos."

Hotaru fisted her hands and forcibly slowed her breath. She was better trained than this.

"Where?" the Senshi of the Wind demanded.

"Close," Setsuna warned grimly. "On the other side of Earth."

They inhaled sharply, painfully. It was much too close to Crystal Tokyo, to their beloved queen, king and princess to be of any comfort.

Setsuna nodded, reading their expressions as her own. "I have spoken to the Priest of Illusion and he, too, feels that there is something… strange on Earth."

"Helios?" Hotaru asked.

"Yes," Setsuna said. "I had advised him to keep quiet until we had the chance to investigate this eerie phenomenon first."

It had been the best advice, Hotaru knew, for it was the Outer Senshi's responsibility to face alien invaders first. It was the Outer Planets, after all, that were the Solar System's first line of defence, which was why Hotaru was as equally shaken as her mamas and papa when she heard that the possible new enemy resided right at the centre of their hearts. How had they slipped through?

Haruka nodded. "We must inspect the area at once."

"We must be careful," Setsuna was quick to curtail recklessness. "I have a suspicion that it might be…" They tensed. "_Him_."

Hotaru clenched her teeth and did not even care when the wind swept the sunhat off her head. It couldn't possibly be _Him_ – not so soon!

"I will go alone," Hotaru decided aloud.

"What?" Haruka exclaimed, nearly bursting a vein.

"Of course not!" Michiru chided.

Hotaru shook her head at them and explained, "It would only rouse the others' attentions if all of us went. Out of the four of us, I am the most familiar with _Him_. He possessed me once – I can recognize his aura immediately."

"We've all been possessed by Him!" Haruka snapped.

"Not like me!" Hotaru countered heatedly. Could they not see that she did not want them to get hurt? Could they not see that they would always, _always_ be her mamas and papa? _Could they not see_? Could they not see as the Senshi of Death, Destruction and Rebirth, she had the greatest chance of retreat, of recovery, of _rebirth_? "He had once been in me since I was a child, remember?"

Her mamas and papa flinched at the memory, of how they had once been quite avid and determined to annihilate her. Pharaoh 90 had always been their most hated foe.

"I will go," Hotaru repeated, determined, and released her fists from her dress. Smoothing out the wrinkles, she winced when she realized that her maids had their work cut out for them, and put on a brave smile. "It has to be me."

Haruka opened his mouth to protest, and most likely loudly too, if not for Souichi coming up from behind with a basket full of refreshments.

"Papa!" Hotaru called happily, her voice cutting the tension as sharply as her Silence Glaive.

"Hotaru!" Souichi returned enthusiastically, his glasses almost falling, and patted her head. One look at the Outer Queens and he sighed soberly. "I take that you've told them."

Setsuna nodded morosely.

He turned to Hotaru. "And you will be the one to go?"

"Yes," Hotaru replied. Papa always knew her best.

"I see," the professor murmured. "Well, you won't be going today. Tomorrow would be the better choice."

Haruka choked in anger. "You _cannot_ possibly condone this!"

"Haruka," Michiru chided, but her frown showed that she, too, disliked Hotaru going alone.

"She is the most plausible candidate," Souichi reasoned. "I have faith in my daughter, don't you?"

Haruka looked ready to deck him, blood-father of Hotaru's or not.

"Enough," Setsuna cut in, placing a grateful hand on Souichi's arm and a placating one on Haruka. "She knows how to contact us if anything goes wrong."

Hotaru nodded. "Haruka-papa, please don't worry. I have been trained by the best."

The Senshi of the Wind gritted his teeth, but turned away from the group, accepting the circumstances but that did not mean he had to be very happy about it.

"All right then," Souichi said cheerfully, and offered an arm to Setsuna. "Shall we join the others now?"

The stress on Setsuna's face softened and she wrapped her hands around his forearm. "We better, before they suspect something is wrong."

"Because there is," Haruka spat gruffly.

Sighing, Michiru sent him a warning glare before dragging him down the hill to meet with the rest of their party. "Be good. We would not want to ruin their happiness, would we?"

As one, the five looked to the pretty queens and princess and ladies playing tag in the daisies. No, they would not want to spoil their happiness. After so much suffering they had all endured, the loss, the blood, the fading breaths… they could never want to be the ones to wipe their smiles clean off their faces. It was why they were the Outer Senshis – it was why they had so many secrets from the Inner Courts. They were the first in line of defence, first to face the monsters hiding under their beds – the first to keep the others safe.

They had to.

"HO-TAR-U!" Chibiusa shouted with a beaming smile, waving Hotaru's sunhat in the air. "I caught it!"

Hotaru smiled, with teeth and everything, and thought how nostalgic it was. "I'm coming!"

Bare-footed, she made her way down the hill and revelled in the feeling of grass brushing by her ankles. Sharing a laugh with her mamas and papas, she skipped down the last few steps to stand before her princess. The princess with candied hair and ruby eyes, the princess who had saved her from herself – No. Hotaru could never, ever want to make her unhappy, not to her best friend. That was why she had to face this new darkness residing so close to her friend's home.

She had to.

"Thank you!" Hotaru gasped, feeling a little out of breath.

Chibiusa snickered and then placed the hat back on her head. "C'mon! You're missing out on all the fun!"

"Be careful!" Luna repeated again when Chibiusa dragged Hotaru into the chattering girls sprinting across the field.

With her hat flying off her head once again, Hotaru ecstatically followed after Chibiusa. With the sun warm on her skin and the breeze cool through her hair – this was what happiness was. And Hotaru would never, ever let it end. She would stake her life upon it, for she knew…

Ages ago, when Sailor Cosmos scattered the dust of Chaos into the universe, she had known, _they had all known_, that he would return someday, but Cosmos could not have possibly taken all that was life away from those she loved the most. None, however, would have thought that he would make himself known so soon.

Hotaru turned to Usagi laughing brightly in the distance.

If her queen could do it, then so could Hotaru.

**the point**


	2. Chapter Two

2

She raised her boot onto the nearest Victorian chair and pulled the length up her calf, white with violet trimming; the distant morning sun reflecting violet from her star-shaped broach, splashing purple against the white of her fuku, against the dark maroon of her centre bow, against her left breast where her heart beat uncertainly. Calm, cool and ever the silence that was her strength, she drew her gloves, white with violet accents, over her elbow and up her arm, and touched the violet sheer bubble sleeve at her shoulder.

"Your majesty," her Minister of Trade addressed humbly.

The slight sway of her hair was the only evidence he received that she was listening, her back to him and her face to the window. It was to be a lovely day from what they could gather of the morning, all bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds, birds and flowers, butterflies and bees. It really was too bad that she wouldn't be present for most of the day.

"The space pirates had struck again last night," the minister informed most regrettably.

Her lips, a subtle transparent gloss, frowned delicately.

"Your majesty," her Minister of Security spoke. "May I suggest increasing the number of military ships along the space trade routes?"

From the window, she could feel her Minister of Finance nod worrisomely.

"If these pirates continue to commandeer our trading ships," the Minister of Finance said, "then we are to lose much from our treasury. We have already lost much! We may even have to…"

She traced the violet ribbon lining her waist, tapping at the star just below her belly button, and pulled the ends of the ribbon at the back absentmindedly. There were many problems yet to be resolved in Titan Castle, but – she looked out to the sun again – they would have to wait.

"You may substitute the losses from the palace's treasury," she said.

Her ministers simultaneously blanched, appalled at her suggestion, but dared not go against her word. Out of both fear and respect, they bowed at their waists, confirming her wish as their own. As much as they believed she deserved her private funds, as much as all Saturnians gladly paid their taxes for their queen, their queen would never hesitate to throw it all away for the betterment of the ringed planet. Their queen, just as they were, was frugal, opting for a simple existence instead of the opulence of the Inner Courts.

"Perhaps, your majesty," her Minister of Public Safety advised, "we should reduce the exports to the Inner Courts at the moment. With the threat of the space pirates, it is better to be too careful than to be too careless."

She lowered her foot from the chair and straightened her layered skirt, solid violet with a sheer violet tulle underneath. Patting down her hair, she finally turned to face her impromptu parliament in her private bedchambers, and they all unconsciously held their breaths at her bright light, like that of the fading violet twilight, or the purple dawn of a new, better day.

"I do not think the Inner Courts would be happy with such a decision," her Minister of Foreign Affairs finally found her voice.

"I do not think the Inner Courts would ever be happy without their baubles," her Minister of Natural Resources scoffed.

She frowned at this and knew it to be true. As much as she loved the Inner Courts, was indebted to the Silver and Golden Crystals, there was a strict divide between the Inner Planets and that of the Outer. The Inner Planets, skilled in the trades and crafts, were lacking in resources for their flawless silks, marble columns and caviar delicacies. As for the Outer Planets, they were abundant with natural resources – Uranus with her vast jungles and quality timber, Neptune with her endless oceans and exotic seafood, Pluto with her golden fields and everlasting breadbasket, and Saturn with her nutrient-enriched ring and bottomless mines – her great stones, priceless gems and faultless metals self-replicated at such a rate that it was almost a danger to _not_ mine them.

She lowered her gaze to the stars on her boots.

The Inner Courts were extravagant, entitled themselves to the glamorous and the lavish, but for the Outer Courts, they could do without all those luxuries – would actually _prefer_ to not have them at all. As the first line of defence, Saturnians, Uranians, Neptunians and Plutonians had learnt long ago to forego all that glitz and gold for a sword and shield. The Inner Courts were consumers, but for the Outer Courts, they were producers. For the Outer Courts, a simple life of a home, a family and good friends was enough. For the Inner Courts, they needed all those chocolate fountains, diamond rings and crystal shoes.

Indeed, they would not be happy at all if Saturn was to curtail their supply of priceless jewels – the worshiped rose diamonds, the coveted white gold, the soft rubies, emeralds, sapphires, opals, topazes, peridots, endless, endless and ever endless. Her head started to ache just thinking about the implications of slowing the trade, but as much as her duty was with the Silver and Gold, the Violet of her beloved mother planet was just as heavy. She must side with the Violet, for today she was about to sacrifice a lot for the Silver and Gold already.

"Yes," she finally decided. "I believe it would be most rewarding to reduce exports to the Inner Planets. Our trade with the Outer Courts must remain as they are."

Her ministers nodded, understanding. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto needed the Saturn's steel for weapons and defences. Similarly, Saturn needed Uranus's timber for fortifications, Neptune's water for supplies and Pluto's grains for food. All must be in stock for an unforeseen battle if needed. As much as a Golden Age this Third Millennium was, there would always be a threat. She was about to find out, today, just how much of a threat there was.

She straightened, taller in her heeled boots, and dismissed her ministers. "That will be all for this morning. You will relay all that was said in parliament today. I will not be returning until later this day. If not," her ministers tensed at the implication, "you must wait a full seven days before you are to inform the Outer Queens of my absence."

"Yes, your majesty," her ministers obliged with a bow.

Glancing at the mirror, she eyed the violet choker around her neck and the much-recognized five-pointed star on both her choker and on the centre of her tiara. Her earrings, delicate replicas of her mother planet, dangled against the fragile curve of her neck, glittering alongside her violet eyes.

She met one of her ladies-in-waiting in the eye and the maid came forward with the Silence Glaive. One of the sixty-two maids, each from a noble family coming from one of the sixty-two Saturnian moons, she was just as delicate, frail and pale as the other sixty-two dressed in simple purple silk. But just as the other sixty-two of her ladies-in-waiting, she was just capable of wielding a glaive like any other seasoned warrior.

From the corner of her eye, she could see one of her Saturnian Sentinels hesitate, wanting to take the revered Silence Glaive, if only to detain her departure even farther. None of her elite bodyguards, one for each of the planets including the Silver Moon, wanted her to leave without them, but this was a mission she must face herself.

Resolute, she took the Silence Glaive into her hands and the room fell to their knees in veneration. There she was, Eternal Sailor Saturn, a violet light so bright that the ministers, maids and guards could not help but fall over themselves in the face of her, too afraid, too loving, to look her in the eye. She was beyond them, and they had not faced her for a long while now – she had not been needed for a long while now – that now when she had finally appeared before them, they forgot to breathe, forgot to think. There was only their beloved queen, beautiful, constant, and very fragile.

A butterfly in the sun and a moth in the moon; a deeper, darker, quiet power.

"You will tell my father that I have left," Sailor Saturn told her maids.

They lowered they foreheads to the floor, one of the maids speaking, "The Dowager King shall be informed, my queen."

With one firm, benevolent nod – with one murmured "Sailor Teleport" – Sailor Saturn vanished in a flicker of purple light, in an ethereal blur that left them breathless and fearful. A moment later, unbeknownst to them, their queen touched the dusty ruins of what had once been known in the Twentieth Century as _Romania_.

She bit her lips together and scanned the area, covered in a cloud of fallen buildings and a supernatural fog. Even without pinpointing the source, Sailor Saturn knew, unconsciously, that there was something sinister in the deadened city, something dark in the silence, something _familiar_ she had once found within and without herself. Her blood pressure spiked at the thought of _Him_, of the possibility of seeing _Him_. Setsuna may be right about this possible new enemy.

Saturn gripped the glaive tight and cautiously jumped down from the roof of a decrepit building onto the dusty, uneven cobbled street beneath. Her boots hit the cracked stone with a resounding _clang_, dull but unnervingly loud. This hollowed city had been unlived in for a while now. How it had avoided the rebirth of the Silver Crystal was not known to Saturn. The chill, however, slithering across her exposed thighs could only come from something ominous.

She made forward into the skeletal labyrinth of the city, her heels _clicking_ along the upended streets as she went. According to the time, it was supposed to be in the late afternoon, but the dust and fog was so thick that the city appeared dim and ghostly, like a rainy day with no chance of sunshine. Her plan had been to face this darkness in the light, but whatever powers they had, had rendered her campaign useless. She should have known that whatever was here, in this rising fog, was beyond her expectations. To have already nested a mere half-planet from Crystal Tokyo should have told her enough. But no, Saturn just had to be reckless.

Scuffling feet and she poised in defence immediately, the Silence Glaive steady and unbending in her hands, held up to protect her upper torso. It had not been a rat, she could tell. The nose, the echoing impact of the feet, was heavier than a rat… but softer than a human? Eerie and alert, Saturn pivoted on one foot to search her surroundings, her sharp eyes tracing over the distorted walls of fences and shadowed windows of collapsed buildings.

Something – _someone _– was out there… she could feel their eyes on the back of her neck.

She spun just in time to deflect the bullet aimed at her spine and then quickly back-flipped up onto the only upright streetlight to be seen. Blood pounding, senses heightened, her straightened and peered into the fog, into the direction where the bullet had come from. Slowly, very slowly, whether the dust was lifting or the culprit was walking forward, she saw a single pulsing orange light prick through the fog, and then slowly, very slowly, she saw that it was a burning cigarette.

Her eyes narrowed when the single cigarette slid forward to show sharp incisors, attached to a maniacal grin, forming into a sharp chin, flawless jaw, even cheekbones, perfect nose and eyes hidden behind wine-coloured glasses. And when he stepped out from the dust, she was taken aback by his clothes. He donned a white shirt, black vest and pants, red trench coat with a matching red hat and a red ribbon at his collar. Most startling was his hair, black and long, a monstrous living thing of its own, twisting without a wind. The silver gun in his hand, still smoking, was all the evidence she needed to hold him as the perpetrator who had fired upon her.

"State your name and business," her voice rang clear, steady and undeniably powerful in the dead city.

The man chuckled, deep and forebode, no longer opting for stealth as he casually strode forward, his heavy black boots crunching rock, branch and insect beneath him. All she could do was stand very still, bowled over by his very presence, not only dark, but otherworldly and demanding, something she had never faced before. He was _more_ than her, she realized.

More shockingly, he was Him and yet _not_ Him.

He was other.

She swallowed hard and felt his eyes, like a sharp accurate knife, trace over her, taking in her liquid black hair falling to her chin, pale and bruise-inviting skin and her supernatural – goddess-like – violet eyes. His gaze sliced across the neckline of her fuku, dipping over her breast bone, and then slithered in-between her breasts to the intimate star just below her stomach, slid down her naked thighs and then down, down, down her long legs to the sharp heels of her white boots. And just as soon as he met the ground, his eyes, masked by his glasses, flickered to her earrings and then rested, finally, on her tiara – on the violet star gleaming an almost godly light.

"Your majesty," he addressed with a mocking bow.

His voice was just like wine, deep and promising destruction in large consumption. Saturn hadn't realized how tall he was until he bowed, his limbs long and muscular under all that overbearing coat and sleek vest. His very body, size and height, demanded alpha status. And he _was_ alpha status.

She fought the urge to flee when he sauntered over, coat moving like a flag at his pace. His cigarette throbbing with each breath he took; his grin never faltering – _growing_ for he knew she was wary of him.

"Who are you?" The steadiness of her voice effectively hid her anxiety.

Haruka had taught her well.

He knew she was bluffing. She knew that he knew she was bluffing. He knew that she knew he knew she was bluffing.

He had caught her, she knew.

That was why he didn't answer her.

But she would not flee, _never _flee. She may be prey and he may be predator, but Saturn had come out victorious in stickier situations. She had won many times before. She was not about to lose this one.

In a flash she was off the streetlight, bringing the glaive down upon his head, but just as quick, he grabbed the handle of the glaive and threw her off the side. When she landed, graceful and unharmed and ever firm, all he could do was chuckle in deep baritone. She had not even skid from the force of his throw.

The air fluctuated and Saturn ducked, avoiding three simultaneous bullets skidding over her. A second later and she brought her glaive up to block another, and then rolled to avoid his hand making a grasp for her arm. A swift kick from her kick-ass boots and he stumbled back, her heels bringing blood on his once-flawless chin. He only chuckled again.

"Interesting," he mused, his tongue, long and snake-like, flickered out and wiped the blood from his chin.

Saturn withheld a shudder for he came at her again, this time with two guns firing at regulated intervals. The power behind the bullets was enough to take chunks of old concrete, brick and stone from the surrounding city, kicking up dust and debris, whispering like deadly, deadly death.

"Silence Wall!" she screamed, catching twenty bullets at once.

The man made a satisfied groan at the back of his throat that nearly caused Saturn to falter her Silence Wall, but she held damn steady.

"Who are you?" she shouted, hurriedly tossing her hair back from her face.

He laughed, a dark rumble that shook the city walls and caused her bones to tremble, but she stood strong. She was the Queen of Saturn, Matriarch of Titan Castle and the Sailor Senshi of Death, Destruction and Rebirth – she could take him!

She dashed forward, glaive poised downwards, and then brought the blade up once she close, piercing him deep into the solar plexus, hitting bone and spine. She hesitated when she saw that he had not dodged her attack – a measly one at that, but dashed the thought aside as she sliced through his ribs to free the Silence Glaive, taking blood and bone with her, a chilling _gurgling_ as the life-liquid sloshed onto the barren city streets.

She jumped back, glaive gleaming red in the fog, and eyed him carefully. He still stood, despite the fatal wound she had inflicted upon him, but instead of crying out in pain… he was laughing madly, an echoing insanity that curdled her blood. Narrowing her eyes, she didn't understand him. He should be on his knees taking his last breath…

She gasped when he turned black and melted to the ground like dark ooze. The hair raising on her thighs, bumps on her arms, Saturn was suddenly left alone when the black ooze evaporated… but she knew, somehow, that he was still present, still watching – waiting.

Alert, she made her way slowly over to the spot where he had once been, where the black puddle had once been, but saw that there was nothing left of him, no evidence of him. Eyes snapping to the horizon, she scanned the city once more, only to be upended when a length of black ooze shot up from the ground and hit straight across her face.

Heaving a breath, she slid gracefully back onto her feet and shivered when the black ooze expanded towards her, running for her legs like long, sickly fingers. She jumped over the ooze, but once she landed, there was more black ooze around her. She watched, horrified, as the blackness sprang into the sky like large, thick columns and then exploded like a pen bursting over a white sheet of paper, enveloping the sky, the city, surrounding her!

"Death Reborn Revolution!" she screamed, bring the Silence Glaive down.

A hollow, silent explosion resounded in the city, bursting through the blackness like too much air in a balloon. The ooze splattered thickly over the crumbled ramparts of the city walls, quivering as a separate life form, before crawling desperately back together in hopes of forming another large puddle, but the pieces didn't get very far when the outermost reach of Saturn's explosions warped inwards, the aftermath of her attack caving in and coming back as a second, less destructive implosion that dissolved the ooze once and for all.

Saturn placed the butt of her glaive onto the ground and leaned into her weapon to catch a breath. She was not so much as tired as afraid, her body too shocked by the enemy. She had been required to use one of her deadliest attacks to win. Usually Saturn never needed anything, but a Silence Wall. Her skill and dexterity with the glaive itself was enough to defeat an enemy. Her supernatural attacks, some of the deadliest attacks within the Sailor Senshi, were too dangerous to use most of the time.

This man, this monster, had been _different_.

Satisfied by her victory, she straightened her fuku and forced her heart to calm before turning-

She jumped, her face hitting against a very broad, very strong chest rumbling with laughter.

"Hello again," the man greeted nonchalantly and very much together and _not_ in pieces. "That was an interesting attack. Very powerful, I have to admit."

Alarmed, Saturn stepped back, raising her glaive once more. She didn't understand how it was possible for the man to stand before her, unharmed, cigarette still smoking in his mouth! She hadn't even been able to get the thing out of his mouth! Haruka-papa would be disappointed!

"What are you?" she demanded.

His expression grew dark, his grin more sinister, and her stomach lurched. "Your grim reaper."

She didn't why, but she made to run. A part her knew that she could not possibly defeat him, and if she were to drop her Silence Glaive on him, she would unintentionally take all of Earth with them as well. If she were to drop her glaive, the scythe of the Goddess of Death, then she would do it elsewhere, somewhere secluded in space, then and only then would she feel it right to take him with her unto death. Then and only then would she feel that she must end him, both of them for the sake of the Cosmos.

She didn't know how powerful he was, but when he was that darkness, she had felt _Him_ in him.

She pushed off the ground, knowing she must flee, but before she could take a step, hundreds of black hands came up from behind her and took hold of her wrists, arms, waist, legs – a deep, dark laughter echoing in the empty city. She struggled, her grip on the glaive solid and sure, and she spun to meet the man in the eye… _eyes_.

Suddenly she was plunged into darkness, surrounded by black, with thousands of red eyes of varying sizes blinking before her, taking her in almost lecherously. She felt the cold hands slide along her naked thighs and arms, revelling in her shudders and drowning gasps, and she fought to break free, fought to get one last attack in!

"Silence Glaive Surprise!" she called out, the glaive in her right hand, somewhere in the mass of black, sprang forth mist and violet ribbons to snake through the darkness.

Almost immediately, Saturn could feel the darkness recede, feel the hands falter and the eyes step back when the ribbons twisted around the wrists of the black hands, weaved through the eyes and digging deep, root-like, into the darkness.

"I'm afraid, your majesty," the man's voice laughed out from somewhere in the darkness, "that won't work."

With a darkness of her own creeping into her blood, seeping out from the soul that was her mother planet, she closed her eyes and tugged at the ribbons. At once, they responded, glowing an eerie purple as they leeched the energy from the darkness and transferred the unholy mass unto Saturn. Feeling her heartbeat rise, the pulse in her veins heavy and sure, Saturn took all that was his and wound it within her body, taking him into herself, even when it numbered more than her, even when it threatened to burst from her skin – she would take away all of what he was!

With one last, climatic pull, final lurch, _demand_, the darkness was gone, the hands vanished and dropped her onto the dusty grounds of the city once more, the eyes disappearing in a blink. Shuddering, she pushed herself up onto her feet with the glaive and gritted her teeth when she was faced with the man once more – unharmed and _still_ grinning… but this time the cigarette was gone, smothered under one of his heavy, black boots.

She scowled and wanted, so badly, to throw his own darkness back at him, to use him against himself, but her vision blurred even as she was strategizing just that. His power, a potent darkness, darker than any she had ever encountered, threatened to take her body for itself from within her. She staggered and dry heaved, bent over the cobbled street, desperately clinging to her glaive as the darkness inside of her struggled to equalize with the light from her Star Seed.

"Wh-What the h-hell are you?" she screeched, dropping onto her knees, the glaive falling harmlessly to the ground.

He chuckled, coming close. "I am what you fear the most."

He _was_ HIM!

She slapped his hand away when he reached for her, but she was tired, out-of-breath, blood cold and heart failing. It was over, she realized in terror. He had won. Her vision was thinning even as he drew her feeble body into his arms, his laughter reverberating through her thin bones. He was to be the end of her.

She pushed against his chest as he leaned in close, her arms shaking weakly, eyes searching desperately for her glaive. And just when she thought it was over, he opened his mouth and dug himself into her neck, two sharp pinpricks that made her throat catch, her body stiffen and her heart suddenly reversing from near death to ever life.

What she next thought would be oblivion, was the exact opposite.

For what happened afterwards, was _everything_.

**the point**


	3. Chapter Three

3

Silence.

She was silence.

Thus, it was only appropriate to start in silence. For it was in silence did her existence begin, buried within the depths and darkness of the sixth planet from the sun. It was the second largest planet in the solar system, the one that bore the beautiful ring, suspended in nothingness and reflected an ominous violet/violent aura. It was the planet that divided the light of the inner planets from the darkness of the Outers.

From the very moment she was born, fully formed and fully whole, she was put to sleep, put into silence, only to wake when called upon. Her memories of the beginning was just one memory, only of the darkness, only of the fleetingness of Time and Space, briefly interrupted by a Silver light that was too far for warmth, too far for anything.

Yet, when the Mother Queen called, she knew nothing but to answer. When she woke, for the very first time in her long, long existence, it was like she was being born for the very first time. It would also be, she remembered, her death for the very first time. And with the navy, teal and maroon looking up upon her bearing the sword, the mirror and the key, they knew, too, that it would be over. They knew, too, that she was to be the bane of their existence.

That Silver light so far, far away was fading, the warmth that could barely reach her was to never reach her in that lifetime. Her only instruction was to drop the glaive. Her only purpose was to destroy everything. The navy, teal and maroon wanted so badly to stop her, to prevent the inevitable, _despised_ her for her purpose, her only existence to end all that was beautiful, all that was warmth, all that was light – all lives and loves and laughter.

But what they did not understand, _could not _understand, was that she was made to not feel, to not think, made only to _obey_.

Thus she dropped the glaive, for that was all she knew what to do, all she was built for. And when that blade touched the ground, when the echo of her destruction faded, it would also begin her second death. It would also begin her _life_.

Silence.

She was silence.

Her next most prominent memory was that of the darkness of her room, shadowed only by the mismatched lamps glowing like fireflies on the tables along the walls. She had a father this time, glasses glaring, and a mother dead too soon for comfort, and thus sealing her fate. And it was fate when she met _her_, a crystal pink that caught her hat in the wind, that graced her with a glowing smile, that saw her, _really _saw her, with ruby eyes. It was through _her_ that she understood the happiness in a simple picnic, the feelings from a simple flower, the joy of a simple smile, and the security in a simple friendship… a friendship that encouraged her to believe in herself, to believe in a father so far away. It was the first time she laughed in all her two lives, the first time she learned to _live_. She was not required to sleep this time, but she was still, ultimately, integral to the Silver light.

All too soon, the navy, teal and maroon found her, wanting vengeance and justice from the first time she had let her grip off the Silence Glaive. From a foreign darkness that had dug into her skin, rooted into her veins, she became what they most feared, the Messiah of Darkness, proof of her evil, proof of her crimes, proof that they needed – blue, orange, red, green, silver and gold… pink – to kill her.

But she was, and always would be, the silence. She was made to not feel, to not think, made only to _obey_. She found the Silence Glaive in her hands again, awakened and freed with the help of the warm pink crystal, struggled to become whole in order to save the pink light from flickering out, and filled with the knowing that she must save the Silver as well.

Silence.

She was silence.

So she was to drop the glaive and destroy Pharoah 90… For the safety of the Silver, she died again, _gladly_ died again. But in the aftermath, she did not know that the fates of the Outers were to change, for she was given a third life, held dear this time in the arms of the regretful navy, teal and maroon. Hands no longer full with a sword, a mirror and a key, the elderly Outers gave her what she had been lacking for many lifetimes… a _family_. And coupled with the pink, she now had a _friend_. Coupled with feeling, with thought, made _not_ to obey, she was finally able to _live_.

Yet all too soon her mother planet found her once more, with her beautiful ring and ominous violet/violent aura. She was to pick up the Silence Glaive again, but this time she must pull down the barrier between the Inner and Outer planets, to part the wall and allow the navy, teal and maroon to meet, finally, with the blue, orange, red and green, to touch upon the silver, to recognize the gold. In a span of days, she aged years and done what the navy, teal and maroon had been afraid to do.

She broke down all conventions, and approached and attached herself to the Inners. No longer were the Outer planets to watch the Silver from afar. No longer were they to stay at a distance. No longer were they to weep at the ruins of the Silver Kingdom and not be present to defend the beloved palace. Finally, _finally_, the ten of them could be together.

The one who did not belong to either the Inner or the Outer had been the one to bring them together. She had thought it amusing at the time, and secretly proud of herself.

But it did not take long for another shadow, another darkness, to threaten the beloved Silver light. It was a darkness so deep that it could even snuff out the soul lights of the planets and steal the power of the Star Seeds for itself. Thus, it came as no surprise that she was to die for the third time, but never did her faith in her princess waver, never did she believe that she would never live again, and never did she doubt in the power of her light, of the lights of her most beloved.

Silence.

She was silence.

She remembered being within the Galaxy Cauldron when her princess scattered the deepest darkness to the deepest depths of the cosmos, eternal, eternal, eternal… And with one bright light, one Silver strength, she was given her life back – for the fourth time. But this time, this time, it would last for centuries, as bright as her princess' bridal dress when she wedded her prince, when the Silver and Gold came together at last in one defining moment of perfect togetherness.

Time passed, laughter was shared, and for several short years they were able to live a life they had desired for a long time. They had been able to go to school in the mornings uninterrupted. They had been able to have lunch in the Crown Parlour without needing to cut it short for a youma. They had been able to go on vacation – _outside of Japan _ – like any other family. She, herself, had been able to make friends outside their circle. Her papa was able to race his beloved cars. Her mama was able to play her beloved music. Her other mama was able to design her own clothing line. They had been able to _live_, responsibility-free, fear-free, burden-free for six short years before the Twenty-First Century was to begin.

And when the clock chimed for that fated year, when the fates of the planets aligned with the sun and moons, they all gladly took on the helms as Queens of the Solar System, and the Second Silver Millennium was to begin. From the cement and steel of the Twentieth Century, their beloved Silver Queen summoned forth the crystal heart of the Crystal Palace, summoned forth the utopia of the Crystal Cities of Earth – Crystal Tokyo a flaring beacon as the capital. All the Queens, all nine, gladly put aside their normal lives, their dreams of what could-have-been, to be the guardians they were destined to be. In an instant, human life spanned a thousand years, disease was rare and hunger non-existent. Happy people were easier to govern… but when one was satisfied, she had found soon enough, one wanted _more_ – in excess. Thus the Inner Courts had always been lavish, but the Outer Queens had been firm with their populace.

In due time, her life was made perfect when the Silver Queen and the Golden King gave birth to the Pink Princess, her friend – her _best_ friend – she had not seen for years. To hold the small baby was reminiscent of the time when the pink had found her as a baby. How their roles switched… and how she had needed to hide from the pink in fear of disturbing the Time-Space continuum, for it was not long when the navy, teal and her, violet/violent, had needed to confine themselves within their own palaces when the Dark Moon Kingdom was to invade.

It had been bittersweet for her to watch her Queen coffined in crystal, to watch her King become ghostly, to watch the blue, orange, red and green fade into hollowness in order to protect the Crystal Palace, only to be reassured that once it was all over, once the affair had been finished in the Twentieth Century – with the Dark Moon Kingdom, Pharaoh 90, Dead Moon Circus and Sailor Galaxia – her pink princess would return to her exactly as she had left her years ago.

And soon enough, after the passing of several years, the footsteps of her princess echoed throughout Titan Castle and found her, perfectly still and perfectly happy to have her friend back. The distance, the knowledge of knowing the pink princess and not having her know in return, had almost been unbearable, but when they embraced like the children they had always been, the leftover friendship they had put a pause on in the Twentieth Century flared to endless life in the Twenty-First. And it was all made complete, a perfectly new generation, when the Asteroids awoke - pastels blue, crème, red and green. The Neo Sailor Senshi had come to be.

All seemed like the happily ever after they had all fought for, but their memories held strong, their knowledge of Chaos was ever-vivid. Even armed with the knowledge that they were to die again, that their Eternal Sailor Moon would become Sailor Cosmos, they had nevertheless been caught off-guard by Chaos' rapid growth. He had been like the quiet whisper, with only the wake of death and destruction left behind him. It had been their test, the Queens of the Solar System, for all their understanding of the future, they had never known whether this fight with Chaos in the Thirtieth Century would end in light or in darkness. No one in the Twentieth Century knew what had happened to Sailor Cosmos when she had returned to her distant future, no one knew if she had won or lost… All had seemed bleak at the time.

Silence.

She was silence.

She had watched her comrades die off, one by one, watched the galaxies farthest away snuff out first, watched their people and places and castles fall into ruin and skeletal remains. She had raised her Silence Glaive countless times to defend against Sailor Chaos, but truth be told she had been fearful that each swing of her Death-Goddess scythe would be her last. The terror, the loss, the grief had been overwhelming when her precious mamas and papas left her, when her princess was lost, when her most beloved friends were taken away from her.

She had been one of the few to survive during the last days of end-days, and her last vision of the world were the silver-blue eyes of her queen and the crystalline tears running down her face. She remembered that at least if she were to die, finally, then she would be able to meet her family again, able to see them all again.

Silence.

She was silence.

When next she was reborn, after Sailor Cosmos had returned from the Twentieth Century to scatter Chaos for another time, she had found herself a mere child, naked save for a crème-purple bed sheet in the broken ruins of Titan Castle. There had been fog turned silver under the glittering stars reborn, and it was rather cool like the first breath taken. She had been alone, or so she had thought, until she heard steady footsteps echoing near. Imagine her surprise when she had been met with Souichi-papa. Imagine her thrill at the prospect of having another chance with him, together, a family once lost.

The days that followed, the rebirth and renaissance of the cosmos, had been both heartbreaking and satisfying. She had rolled up her sleeves, her arms child-thin and child-fragile, and rebuilt her palace by hand, stone by stone. She had shed tears, tears that washed away the dust and dusk of the dark days as she paved new streets of the Saturnian capital city. She had formed calluses on her fingers as she rewrote new legislation for her people, for the Solar System. It had been a great time to start over, to remake inefficient cities and carve out a more proficient landscape for the people.

The smiles that soon showed on her people's faces, the laughter that soon filled the beautiful new cities, the warmth that soon overflowed the vast green fields and the hard, honest and gratifying work in the mines was reward enough for her. The return to that beautiful life was enough for her to feel accomplished and complete.

And her friends and family… the love that they had shared was enough to ease her sleepless nights worrying over her planet's reconstruction, to fill in the loneliness in her office busy going over reports, and to overcome her nerves in making the decisions needed for the betterment of her countrymen.

Being the Queen of Saturn, Matriarch of Titan Castle and the Sailor Senshi of Death, Destruction and Rebirth had never been so fulfilling. Never had she had so much to fill in the silence, never had she had so little time of silence, and never had she been so little of silence until now.

Silence.

She was silence.

Thus, it was only appropriate to wake to silence. Bone-tired, heart-hollowed and blood-raw, she opened her eyes to gauge the intricate crown mouldings on the ceiling, beams of wood painted in gold and in rich hues of reds, blues and purples, criss-crossed into star patterns and triangles, hexagons and squares. Blearily, she looked to the walls, equally covered with mouldings and painted with frescos of gold vines, silver leaves and coloured blossoms, and then to the curtains, thick, velvet and drawn closed. And yet, despite the windows masked from her sight, she knew it to be eight in the evening; the positions of the stars, suns and moons a part of her now.

It had been a dream, she noted, a fluid film of all her memories playing out before her, except she had felt everything so keenly that it was like she had been made to relive everything all over again. How strange it was that her old wounds, unseen on her skin, stung as if they had been reopened just a moment before. How strange it was that her heart shuddered as if she had encountered Him for the very first time. How strange it was that her soul seemed to think itself to be that unborn child-woman again, made to sleep for eternity within the depths of her mother planet.

How strange.

How strange it was that she felt like she had just relived her whole life – all those lifetimes – all over again in the span of a few hours.

Weakly, she pushed the down comforter from her torso to let the cold air wash over her body, a soothing balm cool against the heat of her skin. She was dressed in a thin, white night dress that clung to the sweat on her collar, a flimsy material that made her ghostly and fragile, fluttering above her breasts every time she took a breath. In the darkness, with only the echo of her own breathing in the room, she soon realized that there was no other sound to be found – no wind, no wildlife, no chirping of crickets – just… silence. Just… herself.

Death.

"Good evening, your majesty."

She stiffened, thinking it was her imagination. But no. No one could possibly imagine such a voice, wine-potent and blood-thick, sinister and cradling…

No.

It was not her imagination. She was not a deluded fool.

"I see that you are choosing to ignore me."

Unnerving. His dark chuckle was unnerving, sending chills down her arms and up her spine, both thrilling and fear inducing. What a horrible man.

Slowly, very slowly, she pushed herself up from the bed, her limbs shaking from the exertion and her lungs brittle at the caution. By the time she had managed to sit up, sweat had gathered at her brow and her face red from the effort. She was weak, she acknowledged, too weak to put up a fight, something she was sure he knew. There was very little, she had surmised from their last encounter, that she could hide from him.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't try.

Looking up-

Her breath caught.

His eyes…

Red.

Like bloody death.

Like poisonous ambrosia.

Like a silence so deep that it echoed with a still-beating heart from an opened chest.

It was _Him_.

She winced and bent over when she felt her heart seize, the muscles in her chest constricting painfully. Something foreign writhed inside of her, and she convulsed when she felt it twist. At first she was perplexed, even a little indignant at being invaded, but in a flash she remembered what had happened. Her heart stopped. The man. Her Silence Glaive Surprise. The darkness she had taken from him and placed inside of herself.

She coughed, ripping through her dry throat.

Something else was in her body. Something dark. Something slimy. Something squirming around the insides, threatening to wrap scaly fingers around her Star Seed.

It was _Him_.

He was _inside_ of her.

She brought a hand over her heart as if it could fend off the panic, knowing that now was not the time to over think, but to act accordingly. Swallowing, she bravely met his bloody gaze again and bit her lips together, gathering all her convictions together to straighten her spine, as if daring him to move, to strike, to _hurt_.

But he didn't.

He merely sat there, watching her, amused at how she had struggled to sit up, entertained at the idea of her trying to be brave. It was like he was a cat watching a mouse whose tail was caught in a trap! (Not that she was expecting any sympathy.)

What an irritating man, she thought with a frown, remembering how at ease he'd been during their fight.

As if reading her thoughts, his smirk turned teasing, his head bent almost inquisitively, mockingly. It was even more jarring to know that he was _unharmed_, as if her glaive or deathly attacks had not even bothered him at all. His black vest and pants were unmarred, his red ribbon unbothered, his red trench coat unbroken – his red hat still on top of his head. It was as if his whole being was mocking her, made tenfold bitterer with his glass of red wine and his gilded gold, throne-like chair upholstered with red velvet.

And he was being pretentious, they both knew, especially when he was smirking like that, especially when he had one leg over the other, especially when he was eyeing her like that, especially when they both knew she could hardly move, much less fight.

She fisted her hands uneasily, not understanding why she was so annoyed, not understanding why she wasn't dead yet. If he had any ounce of honour in him, then he would have killed her outright without these games, without looking at her like some prey he was leaving last to eat. He couldn't possibly think that he could manipulate her against her allies – her _family _and _friends. _He couldn't possibly believe that she could join him. He couldn't possibly believe she was that _weak_.

Then what was he waiting for? Why wasn't he finishing her off?

She blinked warily, her eyes catching an ethereal silver glint just behind him. Perhaps it was by chance, perhaps it was by _Fate_, but whichever it was, it was then that she spotted her Silence Glaive resting by the double doors, innocently, almost harmlessly.

She met his eyes.

He saw what she saw. In fact, she wouldn't doubt it if he had placed it there to mock her.

Now it was up to her if she was willing to take a risk. If she was willing to believe that she could escape? With him so close? With her so feeble?

In all logic, she shouldn't – _couldn't_. She knew she was not in any way, shape or form able to manage an escape, not when she was feeling so tired and drained, not when she knew he was in perfect condition and she was bedridden. But if she were to stay, if she were to remain within these walls of his, then she would be at a disadvantage, constantly within his watch and power. Moreover, she didn't know what he had planned to do with her, whether that be life or death, or a fate worse than what could be imagined. In her frail state, she could easily be brainwashed – it was something she was _very_ aware of.

His smirk widened. He knew her decision before she could even make it, and when his eyes gleamed like cursed rubies in the darkness, she knew he was anticipating her to move. She knew he would enjoy to see her attempt, but they both knew that it was a risk she'd have to take, have to try upon her honour as a Planetary Queen.

So she moved.

It was only a second, almost a reckless act, and she launched herself off the bed towards her beloved glaive-

"_Quick!"_

-only for her legs to give and leave her crashing to the floor in one giant, ghostly heap, her dress momentarily flipping over her head and showing her underwear like a toddler first learning to walk.

He laughed. A deep baritone, full and heavy, reverberating in the darkness of the room like a living nightmare. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he chided with another dark chuckle. "You haven't recovered yet."

Her bones had threatened to break under the impact and her skull had knocked against the hard marble, but she still had enough fire left in her to push her dress irritatingly back down and away from her face to give him a well-placed, well-indignant _glare _(with a side of a blush, but she refused to believe he could _embarrass_ her). Her rage may have been lessened in its strength with her out of breath and coughing feebly, but she held his eyes long enough to convey her consternation and hate.

She had never hated many before, except for _Him_, but this man was somehow clever enough to put himself on her hate list, especially when he felt no need to either harm or help her! He was so confusing and frustrating and mind-boggling mysterious! What did he want with her?

Her heart seized again and she dropped to the floor, her bones brittle as she attempted to curl into herself, but had to stop halfway when what felt like acid burned its way through her veins. Gasping, she closed her eyes when white flashed before them, and she dry heaved, her chest constricting, twisting – a darkness worming its way through her body, destructive, acerbic, demanding – reaching to snuff out her soul light.

Pain.

It was so painful.

And it hurt – everywhere.

She groaned and dragged her fingernails across the marble tiles, her teeth clenching hard enough to draw blood, as if displaying pain elsewhere would distract her from the darkness eating away at her from the inside. And yet, somehow, she was able to vaguely note that he had stopped laughing. And yet, somehow, she was able to vaguely hear him stand from his king chair. And yet, somehow, _she was able to vaguely feel him come near_.

Squinting through her blurry eyes, she realized that she was crying and that there were two heavy boots in front of her face. Through the haze of pain, she dragged her eyes upwards, across his black pants, his flawless vest, his annoying ribbon at the base of his neck – his liquid-dark, bloody-wine eyes that watched her, constantly watching her, with a blank, almost curious, expression.

What did he-

She froze when he began to bend over, reaching for her. In a bout of sudden strength and conviction, she shuffled out from under him, her feet kicking her away, her shoulder bumping into the wall in the process. She knew there was a window above her head, and as much as she may want to risk falling to her death, she just didn't have the strength to reach for the windowpane.

She closed her eyes, believing the worst, and flinched when his finger brushed against her cheek, his deep rumbling laughter reverberating against her skin. And despite herself, her breath hitched when he pressed his thumb against her neck, just above her larynx, a warm spot that made it hard to breathe. She even gasped when his long warm fingers snaked across the back of her neck like whispered death and tilted her collar back, cradling her head like it was the sweetest thing one could ever hold. At any moment, he could end her. A sudden squeeze at her neck and she would suffocate. A simple snap and she'd be dead.

What was he waiting for?

…

What was _she_ waiting for?

She gritted her teeth when she felt his fingers trace the underside of her jaw, a flutter of wings on a broken branch.

Was she really going to let him do this? Was she really going to let him kill her? So feebly? So pathetically? So _submissively_? Where was her pride? Where was her honour? Where were her convictions and strengths of her many, countless lifetimes? Never before had she cowered before her enemy. Never before had she felt hopeless. Never before had her belief in the light and the life wavered so.

What made him so different?

"_He isn't," _she thought.

She pushed his hand away, breath haggard and chest clutching, and opened her eyes to glare at him, stumbling slightly to see that he was not making fun, but appeared rather grave and serious. But nevertheless, the Queen of Saturn would die of shame before dying without putting up a fight.

She placed her hand over her heart and yelled, "Saturn Crystal Power, Make Up!"

Like the sun rising over the crest of a green field, like the moon beaming violet through stained glass, her Star Seed, her Saturn Crystal, flared to life like a beacon promising refuge and a peaceful death. Warm and fluid, she closed her eyes as she felt the ribbons beginning to form and twine their way over her body, her sailor fuku beginning to take shape, but just as soon she convulsed and winced, dropping to the floor once more when she felt the darkness, her unwanted guest within her soul, tremble and envelope her Star Seed, feeding on her light and taking her power for itself.

"N-No," she gasped meagrely when she saw her captor's shadow close in, unable to move for she was (to her horror) paralyzed from the pain. "D-Don't c-come any cl-closer."

The man, his hat blood red, took no heed as he reached for her, his eyes filled with the knowing that she couldn't move. Like a lethargic, seductive predator, his arms wound around her knees and neck like silk-snakes and drew her to his chest. She wanted to move, wanted to escape – _wanted to do anything she could to get away_, but all she managed to do was let a small whine escape from the back of her throat and place a hand against his heart, his un-beating heart, in a feeble attempt to push him away.

But she couldn't.

He was too strong.

And she was too weak.

She blinked back tears as the torment inside of her ripped through her very psyche, a pain so familiar to Mistress 9 – to _Sailor Chaos _– that all she could do was whimper and attempt to scamper away from the one man whose very presence screamed of Him, that permeated with His darkness and cruelty. And yet, through her tears, through the blur of hurt, she could not see any of that darkness or cruelty on his face, only a sombre consideration, a silent contemplation…

She suddenly stilled, from both fear and disbelief. In the suffocating darkness, the deafening silence, she saw…

His incisors grew in length and sharpness, gleaming silver-white in the lightless room. She didn't even need to ask, didn't need to much think, and she knew – _she knew_ – he was going to bite her! But she was too weak, to tired, to wrought with pain to say anything, do anything, think anything, as his head dipped forward and his fangs-

"Ah," she cried out softly, her limbs stiffening.

It happened so quick – two pinpricks, warm and soft, against the left side of her neck and… She shivered when warmth rushed through her body and she was able to exhale without feeling any pain anymore. She didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse when the hurt began to recede, and with her neck craned back and her fingers fisted in his shirt, she could feel his heart start to beat, a steady _thump_,_ thump_.

"_Vampire…" _she thought dazedly, his vampiric saliva warming her by exciting her pheromones.

She hadn't known that her eyes had been closed until she opened them, gauging the crown mouldings on the ceiling again, before trailing her violet pupils downwards to look at him, his dark hair like a curtain over her neck, only his pale neck could be seen from her position. There was a vein, large and trembling, just under his ear, and she could tell that it was him. He was the one who was making it no longer hurt. He was the one who was taking her pain as his own. He was the one leeching off of her pain.

He was the one who was hurting now.

And it was confusing. _He_ was confusing. She didn't understand why he was helping her. She didn't understand how he could reduce her to… _this_, watch her like a predator toying with his prey, and then suddenly, almost unthinkingly, come to her aid in her time of need, in her time of writhing hurt. Should she feel indebted? Or at the very least thankful?

She didn't know.

Of all the things that had left her speechless throughout her lifetime, she felt like this moment was just like that moment when Chibiusa had caught and returned her hat to her. Such a selfless act, such a memory of being addressed, of being acknowledged by another.

This was just as speechless.

Carefully, softly, she detached her fingers from his shirt and gently brushed his hair aside to meet his face – only for it all come to a heart-stopping halt. He was looking directly at her. His pupils were dilated, dark and sensual. His breathing was harsh, excited. His lips curved in a predatory smirk. _He was enjoying the pain_.

"_Monster_," she breathed.

And with a jerk, she felt it then. A long thin strand of darkness, of _Him_, being tugged out like a thread from her Star Seed and into him, her captor. It wasn't until a second later did she realize that the darkness she had taken from him earlier was being taken back by him!

She pushed him away, lurching over to regain her breath when his fangs ripped through her skin from her hasty reaction. But even as she struggled to shove him aside, his arms held steady around her and she scowled when he only smirked at her attempt of a successful retreat, his eyes a deep bloody red with his pupils dilated. It was as if he was humouring her.

He chuckled when she began to shake at the aftermath of the pain, a creeping prick at the base of her spine that was slowly traveling upwards. It may not be as hurtful, seeing as her Star Seed had with equalized the darkness and the size of the darkness had been decreased in size significantly, but that still did not stop the hiss escaping from her lips when her captor stood with her in his arms, jostling her perhaps not on purpose. Purpose or not, she had been roused to place her hand on his chest again to steady herself, only to realize how small and frail she appeared against his broad shoulders and terrifying height.

He chuckled again at her incredulously frightened expression and (surprisingly) gently placed her back onto the bed. Tense, she sank into the feathered bed and took a deep breath to determine her body's limits and if the pain had receded. It had, much to her relief, and then she turned to meet his gaze with a blank expression, confused as to what her fate would be, and felt her breath hitch at his eyes.

His pupils, sharp as quills, was tracing along the edge of her jaw, following the bead of sweat rolling down her neck and trailing, feather-light, down her throat to her breasts. He watched, almost lecherously, almost mockingly, the rise of her breasts with every feeble breath she struggled for and every gasp she released laboriously. She was so exposed, so _inviting_, lying on the bed with her hair spread out like ink… unmoving… with only a thin white dress as her only defence against him…

Her jaw hardened.

He was enjoying her struggle, enjoying watching her slowly deteriorate…

She stilled, frightened and resistant, when he brushed a long finger along the left side of her neck. His nails outlined the dried trails of blood left behind, her skin already healed and flawless. But it was his eyes that showed his displeasure, his eyes reflecting his disappointment at how he had not left a single mark on her – no scar because of her divine healing powers, for it was obvious, so obvious, that he wanted that darkness back from her, wanted to dominate her and the stars and the cosmos… and the silence of her hallowed grounds.

He could keep trying.

He could keep drinking her blood.

But she was not going to let the darkness within her, a darkness she was determined to dissipate through the light of her Star Seed, go.

He was going to have to fight with tooth and nail to get the pieces of Chaos she had stolen from him back.

And judging from his eyes, twin pools of ruby moons with a predatory glint, he was thrilled for the challenge.

"I will not kill you, Hotaru Tomoe," his voice like a reaper's scythe in the darkness.

No. He would not. It would be easier to tame Chaos in the organized living body of a Planetary Queen than to chase after it in the wild. No. He would not kill her… yet.

She blinked, unperturbed by his knowing her name, having realized that he must have gone through her memories the first time he had drank from her.

Never again.

Never again would she be so weak and defenceless as to let him so easily to know her deepest of secrets.

Never again.

"And what name shall I call you, nosferatu?" she asked.

His smirk widened to show his shark-like teeth, amused at her queenly tone, as if she could ever rule her current surroundings. It entertained him to no end, she could tell.

"Alucard."

**the point**


End file.
